Print Edition of The Observer for Friday, May 18, 2017 (pt. 2)

Sports

ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, May 18, 2018 | The Observer

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men’s basketball | 21-15, 8-10 acc

Notre Dame struggles in ACC play, falls in NIT

By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS Associate Sports Editor

Entering the season with top15 expectations, Notre Dame was plagued with injuries and a tough conference schedule that resulted in a second-round exit from the NIT tournament. The campaign could be likened to working on a puzzle in which, just when you found one piece, you lost another.

However, a season that fell short of the ultimate goal of qualifying for the NCAA tournament was not without its highlights.

Two game-winners, a 21-point ACC tournament comeback and several program benchmarks, including head coach Mike Brey becoming the winningest coach in program history along with the winningest senior class, continued the program’s momentum.

Heading west to Hawaii for the Maui Jim Invitational in late November, the Irish (21-15, 8-10 ACC) faced No. 6 Wichita State in the final round.

Heading into the second half with a 14-point deficit, Notre Dame quickly began to claw back, hitting six of its first eight shots to cut the lead in half. Down three with 20 seconds remaining, senior guard Matt Farrell stole the inbounds pass before shoveling the ball to senior forward Bonzie Colson, who layed it in to make the score 66-65.

With just over two seconds, junior guard Rex Pflueger made the inbound pass to a slashing senior forward Martinas Geben who got fouled on the shot. Geben went

on to hit both free throws to seal the 67-66 victory.

Pflueger said the play that they ran was exactly what he had in mind.

“We had Bonzie and Matt obviously being our primary go-to players in that situation,” he said.

“Knowing how Martin has progressed during his time here. …

I knew he was ready for the big lights. When we ran that play I knew he was going to be open because there would be so much emphasis on those other guys.

When Marty rolled, I just knew I had to give him the ball.”

Assistant coach Ryan Ayers said that the team’s mantra was to just keep plugging away.

“Winning the Wichita State game on the biggest stage of college basketball at that time was an amazing feeling,” he said.

“They did it together, the guys really relied on each other.”

The win over the Shockers (258, 14-4 American) moved the Irish into the top-five heading into December.

After a routing of North Carolina State at home that earned Brey the title of winningest coach in school history, surpassing Digger Phelps, but resulted in an ankle injury to Farrell, the Irish made their way to the Carrier Dome to take on Syracuse. In their first game without captains Farrell and Colson, who’d been sidelined earlier that week with a broken ankle, Brey had to rely on some of his less experienced players to step up and fill the void.

“That was the first game we

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played without Matt or Bonz … they didn’t even travel with us,” sophomore starting guard T.J. Gibbs said. “That whole trip we had an uneasy feeling not having those two guys with us. Coach kept saying ‘slow and steady, eventually it’ll crack.’”

Pflueger, perhaps most famous for scoring the game winning tip over Stephen F. Austin in the second from of the NCAA tournament his freshman year, came up big once again in the late game stretch against Syracuse (23-14, 8-10 ACC).

After a low-scoring first half, the teams matched each other throughout the second. With under a minute, Orange sophomore Tyus Battle tied the game at 49 with a 3 at the top of the arc. He would go on to lose the ball with eight seconds left into the hands of Geben, who threw the pass forward to a running Gibbs. With two Syracuse players going for the block on Gibbs who threw the ball up toward the basket, Pflueger came crashing down the court past two Orange defenders, who were caught watching the action, to score the game-winning put back.

“That was just instinctual,” Pflueger said. “I saw T.J. running down the court and I saw their two defenders and knew both of them were gonna go for the gamesaving block. … I was just hoping T.J. could the ball up somewhere … where I could go make a play on it.

Gibbs said that game was a coming together moment for the team, not only for the current season, but going forward that they would be OK. Although Pflueger was the hero that day, Gibbs had his fair share of shining moments throughout the season. In his second year, he stepped up in his own right, moving into the starting position.

Gibbs said the transition from role player to primary ball handler began last spring and came with its bumps along the way.

“I think the biggest thing was my confidence … [Brey] called me into his office and told me that I’d be starting,” he said. “I thought ‘Are you sure? Me? You must have the wrong guy,’ but after a while it became a routine thing.”

Ayers said Gibbs dedicated himself to the gym and concentrated on getting shots up.

Gibbs vastly improved his 3-point shooting, making 40.3 percent of his shot from long range. “[I] focused on implementing different drills that have him concentrate and having game-time reps in his drills, working on having game-time shots in a row,” Ayers said.

Gibbs widely credited the team’s support for his development as a shooter.

“Coach, Matt and Rex having confidence in me, if [I don’t] make one, maybe [I will make] the second … always telling me to keep

CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer

Irish senior point guard Matt Farrell dribbles upcourt during Notre Dame’s 96-85 win over Boston College on Feb. 6 at Purcell Pavilion.

shooting and eventually one will go in,” he said.

Although the Syracuse game seemed to settle nerves over the loss of its main leaders, reality soon caught up with the Irish, as they would go on to lose their next seven games, all against conference foes, five of which were by less than 10 points. Despite this crushing series, this stretch provided more players to move into the rotation and gain valuable experience.

“As a team we came together and said everyone needs to step up to try to fill the void of our two leaders,” Gibbs said of that January losing streak. “It may have seemed like I was the one to step up through points, but there was always someone else who had a big impact in the game that no one really recognized, whether it was [sophomore guard Nikola Djogo] hitting two 3s backto-back against North Carolina or [sophomore forward John Mooney] going 6-6 at the Dean Dome.”

With their postseason hopes hanging in the balance, they traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia, for the final regular-season game to take on the Caveliers. Despite a triple-double recorded by Colson, who had returned to the court the game prior, Notre Dame still fell short of the victory, losing another nail-biter to Virginia (33-1, 17-1 ACC) 62-57.

Finally appearing back in full force, they prepared to head into the ACC tournament in need of a deep run to make the NCAA tournament. After beating Pittsburgh in the first round by three, Brey’s team met Virginia Tech in the second round for a classic March showdown. The Hokies (21-12, 10-8 ACC) built themselves a 13-point lead by halftime and only continued to add to that lead after the break, eventually stretching it to 21 in the second half. However, a barrage of 3-pointers and lockdown defense allowed the Irish to claw their way

back into the game, eventually winning it 71-65.

The Irish would go on to lose the next round to Duke, ending their hopes of earning an automatic bid.

“For some reason, that whole game I knew we weren’t out of it,” Pflueger said. “We just had to make one of those runs we were capable of. Once we started hitting a few shots, everything started to flow … all of a sudden we’re winning. It was just one of those moments that I’ll always remember.”

Narrowly missing March Madness as the last team out, top-ranked Notre Dame would go on to lose to eventual champion Penn State in the NIT tournament.

Gibbs said although the outcome of the season was disappointing, he’d go back and do it all over to play one more game with the seniors.

“The whole attitude was that we were finally healthy for once,” he said. “It was a fun feeling … it’s something that I’m going to cherish for the rest of my life.”

Having only missed the tournament once in the last 11 years, Pflueger said the program is built on qualifying for the Big Dance.

“With all the injuries going on, we knew we wanted to fight through it as testament to our season,” Pflueger said.

“These guys have really been spoiled on making the NCAA tournament, and rightly so, they’ve earned that,” Ayers, a former player and captain for 20082009 team, said. “As a coach you kinda of have to shape it, you still have a lot to play for, you’re playing for the University, for each other and guys who want to continue playing afterwards. That’s kind of the focus we try to give these guys — a chance to play together because we all like being around each other.”

Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu

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Sports

The observer | FRIDAY, May 18, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Westbeld Continued from page 27

Virginia Tech and finishing her Notre Dame career with 1,076 points. Her senior season, she shot 59.2 percent from the floor, good for second in the ACC, and finished her career with 731 rebounds.

What makes those totals more impressive, however, is the circumstances under which the Ohio native achieved them. Throughout her junior and senior seasons, Westbeld battled through injuries, often playing in games without practicing. As a junior, Westbeld injured her ankle midway through the season and sat out a number of games. She was unable to practice and played limited game minutes until she was able to have surgery when the season ended. This season, she took a finger to the eye against North Carolina on Feb. 1, leaving it swollen shut. She played on, however.

Then, in the first round of the 2018 NCAA tournament against CSUN, Westbeld went down with a sprained ankle — her good ankle — in the game’s third minutes.

She did not play the first half of the second-round game against Villanova, but coming in after halftime, proved, once again, to be that glue the team needed to survive and advance, and went on to contribute well over 30 minutes in each proceeding game.

“I’ve always, for one, just loved the game and just loved competing and I think that even with injuries, I don’t want anything to hold me back,” Westbeld said of her ability to play through pain. “And I just think I’m the type of player that my teammates know they can count on me.

I’m going to give my all regardless of what’s standing in front of me, so, I really just think I can have my teammates and coaches and everyone in the back of my head while I was playing through those injuries and playing through pain and you know, just doing whatever

Fencing Continued from page 27

was on how that particular event will prepare us for the ultimate competition.”

A second-place finish by both teams at the ACC championship set the stage for the NCAA championships in University Park, Pennsylvania.

“The first [championship] was pure jubilation,” Kvaratskhelia said. “The second one was just about getting to the finish line.”

Despite being soundly defeated

by Duke in the ACC championships, the Irish were able to qualify the maximum of 12 athletes. As one of three teams to do so, they were in the best position to compete to defend their title. The men entered the dual seeded fourth and led by individual conference champions, senior sabreur Jonah Shainberg and freshman foilist Nick Itkin.

Kvaratskhelia said the assumption was that the girls had to give them enough of a lead for the men to hold on, but when it came down to it, the men increased the lead.

I could to help my team, regardless of if I couldn’t practice or if I was on the sidelines watching, I was making sure I was contributing in any way I could, whether I was talking to them or using my voice and sharing my experience with them.”

Putting the team above herself is something Westbeld had to do as a senior more than ever. Throughout Notre Dame’s run to its national title, as the Irish roster took hit after hit and lost player after player, Westbeld was called on more each day as the team’s leader and captain to maintain a sense of calm and focus.

“Obviously, with [senior forward Brianna Turner] out, I knew I was going to have to step up and score more points and do a lot more, kind of fill up the stat sheet a lot, but in terms of kind of being a leader, I had multiple meetings with Coach [McGraw] about me just being more vocal,” she said. “I’ve always been more of a lead-by-example leader and so this year, Coach really tried to push me out of my comfort zone and kind of step up and speak more and use my voice and kind of lead our younger team to the national championship because, of who was on the court, I was the only one who had been in that situation before, been to the Final Four — well, [graduate student forward Kristina Nelson] has as well, but, you know, I was the only one who had played in the national championship before — so I was just trying to use my experience to just kind of push through, especially with the adversity that we had.”

It was a combination of that leadership, resilience and determination that Westbeld showed over the course of her four years in an Irish jersey that allowed her to help her squad to the most important victory of them all — a national championship in her home state of Ohio, just an hour from her hometown.

“I won state in Columbus in high school, I’ve been there multiple times, so just for me to be able to complete my full circle from high

The Irish shared the lead on the first with Columbia and managed to extend their lead over the Lions and host, Penn State. The women closed the second day with five All-Americans, including three first-team honorees. However, the Irish were finally able to relax on Saturday when the men tallied 10 wins. Their 17-point cushion proved useful when sophomore epeeist Ariel Simmons clinched the 10th program title in his third place finish.

The biggest individual takeaway for Notre Dame came at the hands of Itkin, who defeated the field in dominant fashion.

“No one even came close,” Kvaratskhelia said. “ ... [He] proved freshmen are able to come in and win it all.”

Despite losing a solid senior class, he said he’s not too concerned about the future of the program.

“When it becomes a habit, it’s a good thing,” Kvaratskhelia said.

“It’s always been the expectation here.”

Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu

school to college was unreal and something that hardly anyone gets to do,” Westbeld said. “ … My little brother’s elementary school that I actually went to, they made me this video and they went through all these different classrooms and they were all saying ‘Go Irish’ and ‘Beat UConn’ and all that stuff and it was just the cutest video ever and I think my high school also had a watch party for it. But just to hear things like that, it just is so special, just to look back and see all the people that have been there from the very beginning.

“There was a red carpet entrance for the national championship game, and there were so many people, fans from all the teams, so you really didn’t know who anyone was, but I was just walking down the red carpet and all of a sudden, I felt someone grab my arm and I looked up and it was my high school coach, who I had a really great relationship with, and then I continued to walk down the red carpet and I felt somebody on my other arm and it was my middle school basketball coach. It was just a really surreal moment for me, just kind of breathtaking, honestly, just you know walking into the gym for my last time in my collegiate career, just to know that everyone was there and was supporting me.

It was a very special moment.”

And after playing some of her best basketball over the course of the 2018 NCAA tournament, including finishing the Elite Eight matchup with Oregon with 20 points, just one point shy of tying her career high, and playing an integral role in slowing Mississippi State junior center Teaira McCowan in the national championship, life did not slow down. After a whirlwind few weeks, Westbeld found herself in Los Angeles after signing a training camp contract with the Los Angeles Sparks.

“It was such a quick turnaround because after our season ended, the Draft was like in a week-anda-half and you have to do all this

Football Continued from page 32

responsibility and doing what’s necessary to get your job done.

That’s all we’ve been preaching since we got back here in January last year.”

The Irish battled their way to take a 20-17 lead into the fourth quarter, but in a span of 3:36 Stanford (9-5, 7-1 Pac-12) managed 21-straight points to go up 38-20 and put the game out of reach.

“We lost the football game,” Irish head coach Brian Kelly said postgame. “Stanford made more plays than we did. We turned the football over late in the game.

Each game that we’ve lost this year, we’ve turned the football over against quality opposition, against good football teams.

Stanford is clearly a good football team. Did that against Miami, did that against Georgia. You can’t turn the football over against really good football teams. Then, you got to make some plays.

We got to coach better. Got to

MICHELLE MEHELAS | The Observer

Irish senior forward Kathryn Westbeld dribbles during Notre Dame’s 84-74 win over Oregon on March 26 at Spokane Arena.

stuff, you have to find an agent, and do all this and I was so behind on all that because I really wasn’t thinking about any of that, obviously while we were playing and so I was kind of behind after the season and just kind of wanted to take a breath.” Westbeld said. “ … So, the Draft came around, I didn’t get drafted, I wasn’t getting picked up because I still didn’t have an agent and then just to have them call — I remember I was in the basketball office and they called [associate head coach Niele Ivey] and were just asking if I had any interest in playing professionally.”

Westbeld said she spent the next day anticipating a call she was supposed to receive from the Sparks organization — a call that never came. She ultimately saw a post on the team’s Instagram page which stated the finalized training camp roster had been posted, leading her to believed she had been passed over.

“Literally 10 minutes later, Niele, our [associate head] coach called me and was like ‘They want you.’ I was like ‘Are you kidding me? I literally just checked and it said it’s finalized.’ And she said ‘No, they want you,’” she said. “So, the GM texted me later that night at 11 p.m. and said ‘You have a flight at 7:20 tomorrow morning.” And so, I was like ‘wow.’ I didn’t know what to pack, for how long. So, I just kind

play better, got to coach better.

Stanford made the plays when they needed to. “ … We didn’t play bad football teams and turn it over, we played really good football teams and turned it over. If you’re going to do that, you’re going to put yourself in a bad situation. There’s not that guys were tired, not mentally sharp, they didn’t come ready to play. They came ready to play.

They were ready to win today. Got to hold onto the football. Can’t turn it over.”

After finishing the regular season 9-3, the Irish accepted an invite to the Citrus Bowl to face No. 14 LSU, which happened to be the last team the Irish beat in a bowl game when Notre Dame defeated the Tigers 31-28 in the 2014 Music City Bowl. The Irish started with Wimbush at quarterback, but the junior gave way to sophomore Ian Book as Notre Dame tried to spark the team to a win. The game was a tight affair the whole way, and the Irish faced a threepoint deficit with 2:03 left after a LSU field goal made the score 17-14. With 1:28 left, Book threw a

of threw everything in my suitcase and left and went to LA. I didn’t really have time to think about it, process it and right when I got off the plane, I got my physical and went straight to the gym and started playing. So, I haven’t really had a lot of time to process it, but it’s definitely been an unreal experience, LA being the place, such a cool city, so much to experience and do here, so it’s definitely been a blessing and I’m very excited to have this opportunity. Hopefully things turn out in my favor and I make the team and get to play another season here.”

Kathryn Westbeld has played 3,090 minutes in a Notre Dame jersey. But her contributions to her team and its run to the national championship are unquantifiable, from the first time she stepped onto the court with Notre Dame emblazoned across her chest until the final time she and stepped off the court, a victor.

“I feel like at this point, since I’m past everything, since I’ve played my four years here, I don’t really look about what I didn’t accomplish, but more looking back at everything that I have accomplished,” Westbeld said. “It’s just really nice just to kind of reflect on that and see how far we’ve come as a team and individually as well.”

Contact Elizabeth Greason at egreason@nd.edu

deep pass to junior wide receiver Miles Boykin, who corralled a circus catch and broke two tackles to take it 55 yards to the end zone and win the game for the Irish.

“It was really almost just a blur,” Boykin, who also won the game’s MVP, said postgame. “ … It was an extremely humbling moment for me just to be able to go out there and make a play to help my team win. We talk about — as a receiver, we’re playmakers and winning the 50-50 ball, we talk about that every day. During that moment, I had to make that play. … Ian gave me a great ball.”

“We had guys step up today that hadn’t had a gigantic role for us all year,” McGlinchey said postgame. “Like [freshman wide receiver Michael] Young coming up huge, Miles Boykin had an unreal game, Ian Book — it’s just cool to see those guys come in and step up in such a big way and send our team out with 10 wins and our senior class out the way they deserved to be.”

Contact Tobias Hoonhout at thoonhou@nd.edu

Sports

Evans Continued from page 27

Frozen Four appearances in his junior and senior years. Evans credited an increase in confidence for his elevation of play in his sophomore year.

“The biggest thing for me, and I guess all college hockey players, is after your first year you just get a lot more confidence,” Evans said. “That was the biggest thing for me. All the coaches started to show some more confidence in me and put me in situations I didn’t get my freshman year. So I think that all helped me. And

ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, May 18, 2018 | The Observer

then you just learn the speed of the game and where things will work and where things won’t work and that really helped me out.”

After a breakout sophomore season, Evans served as an alternate captain in his junior year and the team’s lone captain in his senior year. His 13 goals and 29 assists in the 2016-17 season lifted the Irish to a Frozen Four appearance against eventual national champion Denver. In the 2017 tournament, Evans continually came up in the clutch when the Irish needed him, assisting the game-winning goal against Minnesota in the first round

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish senior forward Jake Evans skates across the ice during Notre Dame’s 2-1 loss to Minnesota Duluth on April 7 at Xcel Energy Center.

and the game-tying goal against UMass-Lowell which helped the Irish seal a 3-2 overtime victory and a Frozen Four berth.

And Evans continued his clutch play the following year in the 2017-18 campaign. Finishing the season with 46 points on 13 goals and 33 assists, Evans solidified himself in the annals of Notre Dame Hockey history. The list of Evans’ achievements and impacts on the season is lengthy.

The senior forward assisted junior defenseman Jordan Gross’ game-winning goal against Ohio State on February 9, a win which handed the Irish the Big Ten regular-season title. He assisted two of Notre Dame’s goals in the Big Ten championship game against Ohio State, helping the Irish claim the Big Ten title. He recorded the primary assist on Gross’ gamewinning overtime goal against Michigan Tech in the first round of the NCAA tournament. He assisted Andrew Oglevie’s game tying goal against Providence in the second round of the NCAA tournament. And then, Evans did what no one saw coming, scoring the game-winning goal in the final seconds against Michigan in the Frozen Four to send Notre Dame to its second NCAA championship appearance.

Evans credited his teammates when asked about the team’s success in the past couple of years, saying it was easy to be a leader Paid Advertisement

around his guys.

“It was definitely an exciting past couple of years with the Frozen Fours,” Evans said. “The team just bought in, and that was the biggest thing for us. Everyone was just buying in. Being a leader on the team wasn’t very hard because everyone was contributing, everyone was getting along, and everyone was doing what they needed to do. It was just a really fun past few years with all of the success we had.”

Irish head coach Jeff Jackson, who recruited Evans, was integral to his development throughout his Notre Dame career. Evans said that having such a dedicated coach was an incredible experience in his time at Notre Dame.

“He has obviously just meant so much to me,” Evans said.

“He’s shown a belief in me — and it may not have been my first year where I was getting a lot of ice or putting up the points, but he saw something in me and he coached me so well. He took me aside multiple times and just talked to me about what I needed to do better and just talked to me about life and made sure everything was okay a lot of the time.

Having that as a coach is awesome. … As a coach, he seems like a pretty serious guy, but he just cares so much and wants the best for everyone. He works so hard at his job. On a daily basis, he’s always prepared to give us

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the best chance for the upcoming weekend.”

After his senior year, Evans signed a two-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens, where he will try to make the NHL team this upcoming year. He looks to emulate the success he had in college by doing just what he did in his freshman year at Notre Dame: having patience and learning from team leaders.

“Once you’re done in college for hockey it’s time to make that next step into pro hockey,” Evans said.

“You can’t be satisfied with what you’ve done in college — you’ve got to take it to the next level. So I think I just have to have that mindset that what I did in college is done now and I’ve got to take that next stop and try to make the NHL team next year. [I] just have to have a really good pro year and learn from the older guys, kind of like I went back to freshman year, just learning from the older guys and not putting too much pressure on myself and just playing my game is going to be a big thing next year.”

In any case, it is clear that Evans has left his mark on Notre Dame, playing an integral part of the program’s elevation in recent years, and he is primed for success in the next stage of his career.“ Contact Connor Mulvena at cmulvena@nd.edu

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Sports

The observer | FRIDAY, May 18, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

ND Men’s soccer | 11-7-2, 3-3-2 ACC

Clark leads strong final season before retiring

By ALEX BENDER Sports Writer

Notre Dame has always fared well under the leadership of long-time head coach Bobby Clark. Over his 17 seasons w ith the Irish, Clark amassed 216 w ins and a 2013 NCA A title.

This past season, Notre Dame put together yet another strong season, and while things may not have ended perfectly, Clark was able to retire w ith a run to the third round of the NCA A tournament.

Coming into the year, expectations were high, but the Irish knew what challenges lay ahead. Notre Dame plays in one of the strongest conferences in the nation for soccer in the ACC, something Clark saw as both a test and an opportunit y.

“Ever y year we always have one of, if not the toughest schedule in the countr y,” Clark said August 23.

“I just feel like you find out who you are. Your chances of w inning all the games are tough, but regardless if you’re good enough to w in enough to get into the tournament, then we know we can play w ith anyone in the countr y. I think that’s important. There are no easy games. … I like to play good games; I like to play tough games. Obv iously the ACC takes care of itself, and then you look for other teams that are good, and hopefully the guys get excited about that.”

At times this season, the Irish found themselves not achiev ing the results they had become accustomed to in recent years. In a stretch across much of October, the team found itself struggling to pick up a w in, yet Clark was pleased in his team’s play and believed things would turn around.

“That’s tough, but we’ve moved on, and I think we’ve learned some things,” Clark said October 24. “In a funny way I was quite pleased w ith how the team played in all three games. Obv iously not happy w ith the results … but we’re still in a ver y good position if we can finish of the year [well].”

Follow ing that stretch, the Irish did in fact turn it around, doing enough to reach the semifinals in the ACC tournament, a path that included defeating No. 3 North Carolina on the road, and earned themselves an NCA A bid.

Clark spoke to the benefits a big w in like that over the Tar Heels (17-4-1, 6-1-1) can have for a team.

“It gives you confidence to play the No. 1 RPI team in the countr y and play them up straight,” Clark said November 6. “It’s as hard if not harder to w in the ACC tournament than to w in the national championship. The ACC prepares you to play in a lot of tough games because ever y team member in the league is ver y strong.”

Ultimately on the season,

PETER ST. JOHN | The Observer

Irish goalkeeper Chris Hubbard holds the ball in a 3-1 win over Michigan on Oct. 10. Hubbard, a graduate student, had two saves during the game and is one of several players graduating this year.

Notre Dame would finish at No. 14 nationally. Its year concluded in late November at the hands of a heartbreaking loss to No. 20 Wisconsin in the round of 32, and while it may have been a tough pill to swallow, Clark ref lected on what had been a great four years for his seniors.

“It’s been a great class — you can see how disappointed they all are,” Clark said November 20. “It was a tough, tough night for them

… the seniors were terrific.

It’s been a great group, and it’s always sad that they can’t take it a little further, so I’m ver y sad for them.”

Nine days after the Irish season concluded, Bobby Clark announced his retirement.

He w ill be succeeded by Chad Riley, a former Notre Dame standout player and assistant coach who spent the last few seasons as head coach at Dartmouth. Riley

w ill hope to carr y on the success his predecessor had at Notre Dame, and while he w ill have to replace the departures of senior forward Jon Gallagher, graduate student goalkeeper Chris Hubbard and others, the Irish — aided by an eightman signing class — should return enough pieces to again be competitive in 2018.

Contact Alex Bender at abender@nd.edu

ND women’s soccer | 10-7-5, 5-3-2 ACC

Irish succeed with tough schedule

By JACK CONCANNON Sports Writer

ZACH YIM | The Observer

Irish junior defender Rachel Heard dribbles the ball during a 3-0 loss to Duke on Sept. 21. Heard played all 90 minutes during the game and started all 22 games throughout the course of the season.

Coming off of the program’s first ever ACC title but a first round NC A A ex it, the Irish marked 2017 w ith electrif y ing scoring, sting y defense and a run to the third round of the NCA A tournament.

Notre Dame (5-3-2) battled injuries a ll season and finished fifth in arguably the countr y’s toughest conference, before embark ing on the team’s first Sweet 16 run since 2014, which ended w ith a 3-2 overtime loss to Baylor.

Irish head coach Nate Norman was impressed w ith the team’s play a ll year.

“It was a rea lly good season. We had a lot of injuries throughout the season.

The team overcame a lot of

adversit y. We played one of the most difficult schedules in the countr y so ever y game was a battle,” Coach Norman said. “Watching the team grow over the course of the season and come together was rewarding for our coaching staff. We’re ver y proud of how they performed.”

The team’s offense was spearheaded by senior midfielder Sandra Yu, sophomore for ward Nata lie Jacobs and sophomore for ward Jennifer Westendorf. The trio combined for 31 of the team’s 46 goa ls, and was a constant threat to other teams. Coach Norman was impressed w ith the trio’s contributions.

“Sandra is an extremely explosive player. She has wonderful speed, quick ness see W SOCCER PAGE 38

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Sports

The observer | FRIDAY, May 18, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

nd cross country

Talented underclassmen step up after injuries

By MEAGAN BENS Sports Writer

On both the men’s and women’s side, the Irish have had a year of grow th as underclassmen stepped up to fill the voids on the roster.

Associate head coach Matt Sparks said the loss of junior Anna Rohrer to injur y shifted the entire dynamic for the women.

The men’s team also found its future leader in freshman Yared Nuguse, who it will look to pave a promising path for fellow underclassmen next season. In his debut season, Nuguse led the Irish to a ninth-place finish at the NCA A Great Lakes regional, as he finished 19th individually. “[For] two years Anna’s been the leader,” Sparks

said. “She’s a two time A llAmerican in cross countr y. With her injur y that kept her out until the fall, it’s like losing your starting quarterback.

“We kind of had to piece ever ything together midway through the season once we determined she wasn’t going to make it back. It was a bit of a disappointment but it was a growing experience. We had a young team, we returned six of our top seven. So [the] six had to step up and be bigger leaders as a result of our starting quarterback having to sit down. Ever yone had to got better as a result. This season was a bit challenging because we were missing her, our major leader.”

W hile the women were called to step up after Rohrer’s injur y, the

underclassmen on the men’s side also had to contribute to the team’s development.

“The men’s team had a growing experience as well, they are ver y young,” Sparks said. “Lots of things happened and we found our leader for future years.

Nuguse stepped up and was an A ll-Region performer in cross countr y. We had a great recruiting class. ... They had to take their lumps but they learned from them and as a result this track season has been more productive. We’re in season all school year, same kids running cross are running track now. [They’ve] grown a lot because of the experience they had throughout the fall.”

Even though the women’s side had the challenge of reconfiguring the team around

the loss of their star runner, Sparks said underclassmen, as well as senior Kaitlin Frei, made an impact.

“One of the things we are really proud of is ... Kaitlin Frei on the women side,” Sparks said. “She was a walkon kid for three years, had to struggle just to make the roster.

“W hen looking for people to step up and make contributions with losing [Rohrer], losing our No. 3 as well, [graduate student] Lex i Pelletier, to injur y, Kaitlin did.”

The men received similar contributions from a walkon who displayed leadership when the team needed it most.

“Kevin Pulliam, the men’s captain, was great this year,” Sparks said. “He was charged

with tr ying to mold a bunch of sophomores along with compete at a higher level himself. He did an admirable job of nurturing, but also pushing the men to compete at a higher level they needed to as freshman. I’m proud of both walk-ons, Pulliam and Frei.”

Even though the team was asked to readjust this year, Sparks said the women’s team winning the National Catholic Invitational at home again, and the men’s team finishing well at the ACC championship, providing more confidence for the outdoor track season.

Even though the underclassmen had more responsibilities than usual, Sparks said they handled the challenge well.

“Usually they don’t step up as much because they are not called upon to make those contributions,” he said. “I think they handled the responsibilities well, Nuguse coming in and leading the freshmen, and Annasophia Keller was also another freshmen that ran in our top three most of the year. They were assertive and confident, where often it takes a year for that grow th to happen.”

Ref lecting on the development this year, Sparks said he is excited to get the team back with the recovered runners, developed underclassmen, and incoming class.

“I’m just excited to get ever yone back and healthy,” Sparks said. “The women’s side is excited and we’ve found two of the top ladies in the countr y to fill in the few at graduation.

“Same thing on the men’s side, returning six of the top seven along with one of the top recruiting classes as well. The youth have had a year of grow th behind them and we’re also bringing in freshman that can contribute right away on both sides.”

EMMA FARNAN | The Observer

Irish freshman Yared Nuguse runs in the Meyo Mile during the Meyo Invitational at Loftus Sports Center on Feb. 3. Nuguse went on to win the race. In his debut year, Nuguse led the Irish to a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes regional during the cross country season.

Contact Megan Bens at mbens@nd.edu

W Soccer

w ill be coming back. We a lso have a top-f ive recr uiting class coming in. There’s a lot to be excited about,” Coach Norma n sa id. “We’re losing a la rge senior class, but w it h t he players we have coming in a nd a lso returning f rom injur y t here’s a lot of great pieces coming back.

We hold ourselves to t he highest sta nda rd. We have high ex pectations ever y single yea r a nd t his yea r w ill be no dif ferent.”

Continued from page 36

a nd at h leticism. She ca n ta ke you on one versus one, she’s a n excellent defensive player a nd works ver y ha rd to put pressure on,” Coach Norma n sa id. “Jen is a g reat f inisher. She ca n strike t he ba ll unbelievably well w it h her lef t foot. A ny time she gets t he ba ll on t he top of t he box she’s ver y da ngerous.

Nata lie just k nows where ba lls a re going to la nd a nd ca n f ind spaces in t he box.

She ca n strike t he ba ll ver y well too, she does a great job scoring f rom a ny spot on t he f ield.”

Midway t hrough t he season, senior goa lkeeper Lex i Nicholas won t he sta rting job a nd did not look back.

She had a clea n sheet in her f irst sta rt aga inst NC State, a nd reg istered t wo more by season’s end.

Coach Norma n lauded Nicholas’ presence in goa l.

“Lex i has a ca lming presence. She has experience a nd is ver y solid technica lly. She’s a great at hlete

a nd ma kes big saves,” sa id Coach Norma n. She gives conf idence to t he tea m, she’s been t hrough a lot a nd seen a lot. She’s def initely a ca lming presence back t here.”

Midf ielder Sa ndra Yu, goa lkeeper Lex i Nicholas, defender Ginny McGowa n, a nd severa l ot hers a re set to graduate a nd leave t he Irish t his season. Yu’s stella r yea r gave her a n opportunit y to join t he professiona l ra n ks next season, a nd she was dra f ted w it h t he eight h overa ll pick by Port la nd

Thorns FC in t he 2018 Nationa l Women’s Soccer Leag ue dra f t. Jacobs w ill a lso not return to t he tea m, as a universit y spokesperson conf irmed t hat t he sophomore has tra nsferred to USC to see out t he rema inder of her ca reer.

Despite losing some key players f rom last yea r’s tea m, Coach Norma n believes t he f uture is bright for t he Irish.

“We have a lot of great returning players a nd some injured players who didn’t play a ll of last season t hat

Contact Jack Concannon at jconcan2@nd.edu

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track & field

men’s swimminG & DIVING

Notre Dame hopes to build on victories Observer Sports Staff

Having already completed a largely successful winter campaign, the Irish are looking to bring the outdoor season to a successful conclusion as they move into the postseason.

Over the course of the indoor season, both the Irish men’s and women’s squads were able to put together strong performances. After a regular season marked by tenacity and personal bests, the Irish competed in postseason meets.

Both distance medley relays ended up placing in the top three at the indoor ACC championship meet in February.

The men’s team of graduate student Jacob Dumford, junior Edward Cheatham, sophomore Clay Goldman and freshman Yared Nuguse earned second place with a time of 9:40.14. On the women’s side, the team made up of junior Kelly Hart and seniors Payton Miller, Samantha Murray and Jessica Harris picked up third place overall.

Harris provided one of the biggest highlights of the meet for the Irish, posting the best mile time in the conference for the second consecutive indoor season. Harris’s final time was 4:38.58.

The men’s distance medley relay made a big splash at the indoor NCAA championship meet as well. On Feb. 22, Dumford, Cheatham and Nuguse teamed up with graduate student Elijah Silva to win a silver medal in the event, finishing with a time of 9:31.22.

Harris finished eighth in the nation in the mile at the indoor NCAA championship

41

meet with a time of 4:37.22, earning first-team AllAmerican honors in the process.

The Irish have sought to build off of the winter’s success with a strong outdoor campaign.

Graduate pole vaulter Nathan Richartz has been one of the biggest storylines for the Irish this spring. Richartz has dominated his event — undefeated this spring. On March 16, Richartz set a new school record in the event, clearing the bar at 5.60-meter during the Hurricane Invitational in Miami. On May 11, Richartz won his third career ACC title in the event, this time clearing 5.70-meters to break the school record, meet record and tying the ACC record.

The Irish have had their fair share of success on the track as well this spring. Notre Dame athletes picked up various top finishes in competitive meets across the country.

Notably, the Irish made a major impact at Philadelphia’s Penn Relays. Junior distance runner Anne Rohrer placed first overall in the 1000-meter run and was named College Women’s Athlete of the Meet for Individual Events.

The Irish women’s shuttle hurdles relay also picked up a first place finish at the storied meet. At the ACC championships in Coral Gables, Florida, from May 10-12, the women’s team finished ninth with 49 points and the men’s team finished 12th with 35.5 points.

The NCAA East regional meet will run from May 2426 in Tampa, Florida, and the NCAA championship meet will take place from June 7-9 in Eugene, Oregon.

EMMA FARNAN | The Observer

Irish senior Jessica Harris participates in the Meyo Invitational at Loftus Sports Center on Feb. 3, where she won the 3,000-meter race.

New and old swimmers bring program-best finish Observer Sports Staff

Notre Dame completed a historic season this past fall and winter, culminating in program-best 23rd-place team finish at the NCAA championship meet in March. The Irish put together strong performances all season, receiving output from veterans and young talent alike.

On October 7, the Irish opened the dual-meet season at home with a bang, defeating No. 7 Louisville by a score of 153.5-146.5. Notre Dame picked up eight event wins, including two from freshman distance swimmer Zach Yeadon.

In his collegiate debut, Yeadon set new pool records in both the 500-yard freestyle and the 1,000-yard freestyle against Louisville.

The Irish picked up wins against Michigan State, Georgia Tech and No. 23 Purdue to close out a successful October. In November, Notre Dame scored another dual-meet win against

Cincinnati and picked up a third-place team finish at Ohio State’s highly-contested Fall Invitational in mid-November.

After a break from competition in December, the Irish opened the second half of the season in January with the same intensity they had exhibited in the fall. Yeadon, senior sprinter Justin Plaschka and senior backstroker Rob Whitacre continued to put forth the production necessary to have the Irish keep winning dual meets. Notre Dame would score victories against Iowa, Illinois, No. 20 Florida State, Ball State and Green Bay to finish 9-2 in regular-season competition.

At the ACC championships in February, the Irish fought their way to a fourth-place team finish. Yeadon earned silver in the 1,650-yard freestyle, breaking the team record in the process. Whitacre followed suit, finishing as the runner-up in 200-yard backstroke while also posting a new team record in the event.

Two weeks later, senior diver

Joe Coumos placed fourth at the Zone C Diving championships after posting 754.15 points on the 3-meter board.

Coumos’ top-10 finish earned him a spot in the NCAA championship meet.

The Irish would shine at the national meet, held from March 21-24 in Minneapolis.

Led by Yeadon’s fourth-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle, Notre Dame picked up four top-20 finishes. Yeadon won First-Team All-American honors with his performance.

Along with his top-five finish, Yeadon earned 10th overall in the 500-yard freestyle.

Meanwhile, Coumos picked up 14th place in the 1-meter diving and the 200-yard medley relay of Plaschka, Whitacre, juniors Steven Shek and Daniel Speers earned 15th place. Coumos and the relay team were both named Honorable Mention All-American.

With a strong recruiting class next year, Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving will be looking to build on its success.

women’s swimminG & DIVING

Young core leads Irish in successful season Observer Sports Staff

Led by a core of talented athletes, Notre Dame put together a dominant dualmeet campaign this season and performed well in the postseason.

Ranked No. 25 nationally to begin the season, the Irish picked up a big win against No. 9 Louisville in their first meet of the year. Besting the favored Cardinals by a convincing score of 181.5-118.5, Notre Dame set the tone for a dual-meet season that would only see one loss. The Irish won 12 of 16 events on the day, including three individual wins from sophomore Abbie Dolan in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle.

In addition to the women’s victory, the men also got the win over the Cardinals, marking the first time in school history that both Notre Dame teams have beaten a top-10 program in the same meet.

Dolan earned collegeswimming.com’s National Swimmer of the Week Award after her performance, and would go on to be named ACC Swimmer of the Week a month later.

The lone Irish defeat of the season came against No. 5 Texas A&M on October 14.

Notre Dame knocked off its next four opponents going into the December break, including No. 9 Indiana and No. 16 Purdue. Dolan continued to succeed against the Hoosiers, swimming alongside sophomore Katie Smith and freshmen Rachel Wittmer and Carly Quast to pick up first place in the 200yard freestyle relay.

The Irish wrapped up the first half of the season at the Ohio State Fall Open Invitational, placing third overall amidst a packed field of teams from across the country.

The Irish appeared strong coming out the break. Notre Dame was unbeaten in dual meets in the second half of the season, defeating Illinois, Iowa, No. 25 Florida State, Ball State and Green Bay. The Irish finished one-on-one competition with a nearlyunblemished record of 11-1.

At the Shamrock Invitational in January, the Irish bested four opponents to earn first place overall. Freshman distance swimmer Lindsay Stone set a new pool record in the

1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 16:12.78, while the 400-yard freestyle relay squad of Dolan, Quast, freshman Skylar Fore and junior Sofia Revilak also broke a pool record. The Irish relay team finished with a time of 3:17.05.

Notre Dame went on to finish fifth overall at the ACC championship meet, setting five new team records in the process. Stone earned the best times in school history in the 1,650 and 500-yard freestyle events, as well as setting a school record for the fastest 1,000-yard split in that 1,650-yard race. Meanwhile, junior Nikki Smith broke the school record in the 200-yard butterf ly while Dolan bested her own program record in the 100-yard freestyle and combined again with Quast, Fore and Revilak to break the team record in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

At the NCA A championship meet, Notre Dame placed 41st overall as a team.

Dolan, Quast, Revilak and sophomore Lauren Heller combined to place 15th in the 400 freestyle-yard relay, earning Honorable Mention All-American honors in the process.

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The observer | FRIDAY, May 18, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

DOMINIQUE DeMOE | The Observer

Sports

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DOMINIQUE DeMOE | The Observer

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The observer | FRIDAY, May 18, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

men’s golf

ND women’s golf

ND makes progress under new leadership

Irish return to NCAA regionals

Observer Sports Staff

Observer Sports Staff

This past year, Notre Dame experienced a year split in two. In the fall and spring seasons, the Irish experienced different levels of success.

After a generally strong fall season, the team experienced some hiccups in the spring.

The fall featured five major tournaments across September and October w ith the Fighting Irish Classic in early October resulting in an Irish v ictor y. There, they shot 18-under par as a team and secured their only first place finish of the season.

Notre Dame competed in six tournaments in the spring. The team faced some difficulties early on in Februar y at the Prestige at PGA West, finishing last in a 16 team field and carding a season worst 38-over par collectively.

However, the Irish turned their play around follow ing this tournament, finishing in seventh, sixth and third in subsequent matches.

These results brought the Irish into the ACC tournament in late April, where they carded the second lowest score in program histor y at 19-under par in a sixth place effort.

Prev iously, Notre Dame’s best score at the ACC tournament was 8-over par,

The Irish finished the 2017-18 season with an invitational win, three top-six finishes, and 10th place at the ACC championships in route to their 12th NCA A regional appearance.

The Irish started the fall portion of their season with top-six finishes in the Minnesota Invitational and the Schooner Fall Classic.

In the season opener at the Minnesota Invitational, the Irish finished third overall led by top-10 individual finishes from juniors Emma Albrecht and Isabella DiLisio, who finished tied for seventh and 10th, respectively. The following week, the Irish would add another top-six finish by finishing sixth in the Schooner Fall Classic, which saw the Irish move up six places after the first day of competition. The Irish recorded the second-lowest team total in program history by shooting 278 in the final round.

Junior Maddie Rose Hamilton led the way for the Irish and recorded a program record after shooting 65 in the second round, while she tied for ninth individually.

The Irish earned their first invitational win in two years when they won the Betty Lou Invitational in Lexington, Kentucky. The Irish shot 872 (+8), and Albrecht tied for first place overall while

CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer

Irish junior Miguel Delgado hits the ball at the Fighting Irish Classic on Oct. 8 at Warren Golf Course, where the Irish placed first.

a full 27 strokes worse than this new record.

Throughout the season, junior Miguel Delgado and sophomore Davis Lamb lead the team in top-10 individual finishes w ith three each.

Delgado put for ward the best individual performance of anyone on the team throughout the season w ith a second place

finish at the AutoTrader Classic in October. The efforts were distributed across the entire team, however, w ith seven of the 10 players registering at least one top-10 indiv idual finish during the season.

The team w ill lose their two seniors next year — Thomas Steve and Jens Verhey. The team w ill pick back up play in the fall.

Rowing

Notre Dame finishes strong at ACC tourney Observer Sports Staff

After competing well in one tournament in the fall and several in the spring, Notre Dame’s season came to an end after the ACC championship in South Carolina.

The third-seeded Irish finished fourth at the ACC championship. Of note at the tournament, the Irish secured a second-place finish by the second varsit y four in the grand final (7:16.483) and third-place finishes by the second varsit y eight (6:35.608) and varsit y four (7:15.875).

Prior to the ACC championship, Notre Dame put together a strong string of performances to earn themselves a No. 17 ranking in the Collegiate Row ing Coaches Association/US

Row ing Top 20.

The Irish participated in competitions like the Lake Natoma Inv itational against highly-ranked teams such as No. 2 California, No. 7 Stanford and No. 8 Brow n.

The Irish were able to compete successfully w ith many ranked teams throughout the course of the season.

In fact, in their last full tournament before the ACC championship, the Irish were notched several v ictories against No. 15 Michigan State. Their consistency of play allowed the Irish to replicate these solid performances time and time again throughout the season.

Notre Dame w ill lose several important seniors from this year.

Of note, seniors Treasa

O’Tighearnaigh and Christine SchindeleMurayama earned first and second A ll-ACC team honors, respectively.

Despite being ranked No. 17 in the most recent Collegiate Row ing Coaches Association/U.S. Row ing Top 20, the Irish failed to receive a bid for the NC A A tournament in late May. The announcement was made Tuesday, May 15, and the field of 20 at the NCA A tournament w ill not include Notre Dame.

Thus, the Irish w ill not compete again until next season. However, despite the loss of several key seniors, Notre Dame w ill look to avenge what could be argued as a snub by the committee and earn a bid for the NCA A tournament next year.

Hamilton finished tied for fourth overall.

The Irish would carry the momentum from the fall portion of their season into the spring season with a fifthplace finish at the Clover Cup and a sixth-place finish at the Westbrook Invitational.

Albrecht led the way for the Irish in both tournaments, placing top-10 individually in both. The Irish would conclude their regular season at the ACC championships, where they placed 10th overall in a field that boasted multiple top-50-ranked golf programs.

After only sending thensophomore Emma Albrecht to the NCA A regionals as an individual entrant last season, the Irish returned to their first NCA A regional since 2016. The Irish earned the No. 12 seed in the Madison, Wisconsin, region, and finished 12th overall in the region with Albrecht and freshman Abby Heck leading the way by tying for 11th and 23rd, respectively.

At the conclusion of the season, the Irish will graduate seniors Kari Bellville and Alison Snakard. Snakard finishes her golf career with a stroke average of 84.39 and competed in 16 tournaments in her fouryear career with the Irish.

Bellville wraps up her career with a stroke average of 77.51, having participated in 19 tournaments for the Irish.

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Sports

The observer | FRIDAY, May 18, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

ND VOLLEYBALL | 22-10, 12-8 ACC

ND starts strong, makes NCAA tournament Observer Sports Staff

The Irish concluded the 2017 season with their first appearance in the NCAA Championship during head coach Jim McLaughlin’s tenure.

The Irish (22-10, 12-8 ACC) opened the season with the second best start in program history, starting the season 6-0 before losing to No. 24 Ohio State in a home and home series. The squad then proceeded to sweep the Shamrock Series, claiming victories over Michigan State, Southern Illinois and Central Michigan before starting ACC play. Although the Irish lost their first three conference matches, the squad bounced back to establish a winning record in ACC play, highlighted by their winning 6 of the last 7 matches.

The Irish would go to finish the season ranked fifth overall in the final ACC standings, and first overall in lowest opponent hitting percentage with .156 and digs per set with 18.17.

The Irish posted wins over three top 25 ranked opponents, claiming victory over then No. 24 Ohio State, No. 25 Michigan State and No. 21 Florida State.

Although posting a near identical record to the 2016 season (22-10, 13-7 ACC) the Irish were able to qualify for the NCAA Championship tournament, marking the program’s 19th appearance in the tournament and their first tournament since 2012.

The Irish fell to Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in the first round of the NCAA Championship tournament, losing 3-0 and ending their second straight 20-win season.

Sophomore Jemma Yeadon led the way for the Irish this season in points followed by Fry and Nunge. Yeadon accumulated 520 points on the season — which ranked fourth in the ACC for points this season. Fry recorded 369 points and Nunge tallied 330. Junior Ryann DeJarld led the ACC in digs per set with 6.12 while, senior Natalie Johnson led the ACC in aces per set.

The trio of Yeadon, DeJarld and Fry earned post season honors for the Irish by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), and earned AVCA All-East Coast Region Team. DeJarld also earned honorable mention All-American honors. The same trio of Yeadon, Fry, and DeJarld also earned All-ACC honors, with Yeadon and Fry earning second team honors and DeJarld earning first team honors — becoming the first player in program history to earn ACC first team honors.

The Irish will graduate six seniors: Sydney Kuhn, Sam Fry, Caroline Holt, Natalie Johnson, Maddie Plumlee and Taylor Zwickl. Seniors Kuhn, Fry, Johnson and Holt have earned a place in program record books. Kuhn ranks ninth in program history in total digs with 1040, tenth in total kills with 950, and ninth in total points contributing 1151 over her four-year career. Fry finished her career ranked second in total blocks with 498, fourth in blocks per set and sixth in career points with 1481. Johnson ranked seventh in program history with 1166 career digs. Holt amassed 2064 assists in two years at Notre Dame, which ranked her fifth overall in program assists and second in assists per set at 10.53.

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish sophomore Jemma Yeadon prepares to serve the ball during Nore Dame’s 3-0 win over Virginia on Nov. 12 at Purcell Pavilion. Yeadon led the team in points scored, totaling 520 for the season.

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ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, May 18, 2018 | The Observer

nd women’s tennis | 11-15, 2-12 ACC

Irish freshmen lead team

By CHARLIE ORTEGA GUIFARRO Sports Writer

Notre Dame finished its 2017-18 campaign with an 11-15 overall record and a 2-12 record in ACC play. This season saw the rise of three freshmen with much potential and marked the end of Jay Louderback’s 29-year run as the Notre Dame head coach, as he announced his retirement a week after the ACC championships.

The Irish were a young team this year with three scholarship players coming in as freshmen: Ally Bojczuk, Cameron Corse and Caroline Dunleavy. Louderback said the freshman all had strong performances this season.

“I thought [the freshmen] did a great job,” he said. “All three [players] had really good [fall seasons] but once the spring started and we played our first two, three away matches, I feel like [the freshmen] got the feel of college tennis and dual matches.”

Louderback also, acknowledged the scholarship freshmen for their specific achievements during the year. He noted Dunleavy’s improvement, Corse’s outstanding doubles play, and Bojczuk’s team-best singles record.

“I feel like [the freshmen] made a lot of progress, all three of them. Caroline Dunleavy struggled a little, lost a lot of close matches towards the end of the year. She ended up losing a close one against Miami … and then she won easily against Wake in the last match of the year. I felt like at the end of the year, when she played a little more relaxed, she finished strong,” Louderback said. “The other two [freshmen] both had really good years, Cameron Corse especially, in doubles.

[Corse] ended up playing [at the] one doubles before she was injured and had a win over two top-20 teams in doubles, which was really good.

The other freshman, Ally Bojczuk, had our best singles records in dual matches.”

Sophomore Zoe Spence and junior Rachel Chong also stepped up for the Irish this season. Stepping into larger roles, the duo handled the

transition well, Louderback said. “[Spence and Chong] played a huge part this year,” he said. “[Spence], at the end of the year was playing very well, she played mainly at three [singles] all year.

She had played four and five [singles] as a freshman so, that was a big jump for her but, she handled it really well with some big wins in the ACC. Her doubles made a big jump from a year ago, she ended up playing No. 1 doubles and was able to compete at the number one doubles. “[Chong] played six [singles] as a sophomore and she was in and out of our doubles lineup but, this year she stepped in and played three doubles with different partners and played four and five [singles] most of the year.

[Chong] won a lot of matches and competed well.”

Louderback has coached his last season in college sports and is retiring for good after 29 years at Notre Dame and 39 years coaching college tennis. Louderback noted the decision was not an easy one.

“I’ve been here for 29 years and it just felt like it’s time I needed to spend a little more time with my wife and family. It’s been an unbelievable experience being here, it’s just a great school and a really outstanding place to work,” Louderback said. “I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else for 29 years. [Making this decision was] hard; it’s hard when you’ve done it that long.

“I was [coaching for] 10 years in two other schools, so I’ve been coaching in college for 39 years. Giving it up wasn’t an easy decision.

Even then, I’ve always enjoyed competing and coaching — it’s the next best thing to playing — you’re still able to compete and helping [players] compete. But I think [what I’ll miss] the most is just the interaction with the people I work with and our student-athletes. It’s going to be 3 o’clock next fall and I’ll have no practice to go to.

That’ll definitely be different but, it’s something my wife and I have talked about a lot and this is a good time for me to stop.”

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men’s tennis | 19-14, 7-5 ACC

ND bounces back from initial losses to save season

By ALEX BENDER Sports Writer

Coming into this season for Notre Dame, expectations were somewhat difficult to pin down. Although a team with a young core consisting mostly of freshmen and sophomores, the team has put together one of its best seasons in a few years despite the lack of experience. The Irish, who sit at No. 24 in the country, hold a record of 19-14 on the season, and while they came up short in the ACC semifinals against No. 1 Wake Forest, and in the second round of the NCA A tournament against Michigan, senior captain Brendon Kempin commented on the team’s strong play this season.

“We have a really young, talented squad, so it was a little unpredictable how we were going to shake out, but the younger guys have really stepped up to the plate, and they’ve been some of the best performers all year,” Kempin said. “It’s been an awesome year so far. We came out really strong, beat Texas in kickoff weekend … this is the best year we’ve had since my freshman year, and guys are continuing to get better.”

Admittedly, things have not been perfect for the Irish all season. The team has gone through a couple of losing streaks throughout the year, but they showed an ability to bounce back from those in rather quick fashion. This is especially impressive given the young, inexperienced roster, Kempin said, and he commended his teammates for having the right attitude throughout the season.

“We had the mindset that

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Irish junior Grayson Broadus returns the ball druing Notre Dame’s 6-1 loss to North Carolina on March 23 at Eck Tennis Pavilion.

we knew we were going to face adversity with a ton of talented teams, a ton of good teams, and at times were going to lose,” he said. “When that happened, it was just being really committed to getting back on the practice court, back in the gym, getting better, and learning.”

The season may not be over just yet for the Irish, but for some of the veteran members of the team, their collegiate careers will be wrapping up soon, and it’s something head coach Ryan Sachire keeps in mind entering the final stretch. Sachire said he appreciates all his two seniors, Brendon Kempin and Drew Dawson, have done for the program.

“Brendon and Drew are super people and super representatives of Notre Dame and our program,” Sachire said. “Each in his own way has played a significant role in the development of our team, the development of our younger guys. They’ve

contributed on the court and just as importantly, if not more importantly, they contributed to the team culture and the confidence and to the attitude our group has right now.”

After concluding their team season at the NCA As — defeating Western Michigan before falling to the Wolverines — the Irish still look forward to the NCA A singles championship in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Wednesday, where junior Alex Lebedev will compete. After his ITA Summer national championship title, Lebedev’s resume includes trips to the round of 16 at the ITA All-American Championship and ITA Fall national championship and nine victories over ranked opponents. This is the 13thstraight season the Irish have sent a representative to the championship.

Contact Alex Bender at abender@nd.edu

Contact Charlie Ortega Guifarro at cortegag@nd.edu

Support student journalism.

Donate to The Observer. ndsmcobserver.com/donate

ANN CURTIS | The Observer

Senior captain Brendon Kempin prepares to hit a forehand during Notre Dame’s 6-1 loss to North Carolina on March 23. Kempin’s doubles match went unfinished against the Tar Heels.

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Sports

ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, May 18, 2018 | The Observer

49

Saint Mary’s sports: 2017-2018 in review Softball dominates conference with best finish in program history; golf sets records, wins MIAA Softball Observer Sports Staff

Continuing its tradition of dominance, Saint Mar y’s recorded its t welfth-consecutive w inning season to launch it into earning the role of hosting the first round of the NCA A regional tournament May 11. It earned an at-large bid to the tournament after losing the automatic bid in a double header to Hope in the conference finals.

The Belles (36-7, 15-1 MI A A) kicked off the season strong w ith w ins against Greenv ille and LaGrange, propelling them to w in the next seven games. A lthough two different w inning streaks were broken by upsets against Lake Forest and North Central, they still managed to build the best record in program histor y. Follow ing the loss to North Central (31-10, 12-4 CCIW ), the Belles went on to w in 13-consecutive games, outscoring their opponents 104–27.

Throughout 43 games this year, the Belles held their opponents scoreless on 12 occasions. The sole regularseason conference loss to Hope earned the Belles their first regular-season conference championship.

In addition to the team success, several indiv iduals were honored w ith conference awards, including three players who earned

first-team MI A A honors and two who earned secondteam honors. Senior pitcher Morgan Ray mer was named conference pitcher of the year, the first in the histor y of the College. The righthander’s 1.89 earned run average was the third-lowest in the league.

The Belles’ hopes for a deep r un in t he NC A A tourna ment were cut shor t, however, w it h t wo losses at home in t he second round to Ohio Nor t hern a nd Case Western.

Golf

By CHARLIE ORTEGA GUIFARRO Sports Writer

St. Mar y’s concluded its season at the NCA A Div ision III Championships last week, finishing tied for 18th place overall w ith a total three-day score of 1071. The Belles had record-setting performances during the fall and spring seasons, w inning the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MI A A) conference championship and obtaining a first-place finish in the MI A A NCA A Automatic Qualifier playoff round. Belles head coach Kim Moore had a lot of praise for her team for reaching new heights.

“I felt our season was ver y successful this year. Our fall season — we had one of the best fall seasons in our school histor y — we ended

up breaking our 18-hole school record. In our conference championship, scored one of the best 36-hole scores in our conference histor y as well as our school histor y,” Moore said.

“We ended up w inning our conference championship, which was one of our fall [season] goals. Our players performed really well, a lot of young talent. Going into the spring w ith prett y challenging weather we performed prett y well as well,” she added. “Winning our conference qualif y ing tournament, that was our next goal to get us into the NCA A [Championship].

Overall, ver y successful and [I’m] ver y proud of the team.”

Coach Moore attributed her team’s success to t wo main points: the chemistr y bet ween her players and the work ethic displayed by each player.

“I think the biggest contributor [to our season’s success] was sisterhood bet ween our players. They really rallied around each other, had some great expectations coming into this season, knew they had some good opportunities ahead and really gathered around each other — [they] helped push each other,” she said.

“Ever yone was supportive of each ot her a nd I t hink t hat goes a long way w it hin our tea m. A nd, just t he work et hic our players had t his yea r. They k new t hey had great opportunities t his yea r a nd t hey met t heir goa ls,” Moore sa id. “I would def initely contribute [our season’s success] to our tea m chemistr y a nd t he way we ca me toget her t his season.”

Contact Charlie Ortega Guifarro at cortegag@nd.edu

Lacrosse Observer Sports Staff

In its fifth year, the Saint Mar y’s lacrosse program was able to become a dominant force on the field and smash records in nearly ever y categor y, finishing second in the MI A A for the second consecutive year.

The Belles began their season by fighting through rain and snow at home to top Elmhurst 20-12, w ith freshman midfielder Erin Doyle setting a new school record for goals in one game w ith eight. Continuing the trend in the second game, Doyle matched her record in a smashing of Puget Sound, 21-3. The Belles continued the momentum of their first t wo w ins w ith t wo more against Pacific by a

score of 19-2 and 20-2 w in over Linfield, against which Doyle managed another eight goals.

After losing their next three games, the Belles earned a much-needed 20-4 v ictor y over Concordia Chicago, led by junior Molly Stout who registered a career high five goals. Riding the wave of confidence, the Belles would continue to w in their next five consecutive games against A lma, Olivet, Trine, Kalama zoo and a nail biting overtime w in against Hope w ith sophomore Kendra Osinski scoring a free position goal in overtime to secure the w in for the Belles.

But the overtime luck of the Belles did not last through a grueling overtime match against the Calv in Knights, resulting in a 16-15 loss on Senior Day. Undaunted, Saint Mar y’s offense put on a clinic the follow ing game, defeating Adrian 23-7 and registering a new record high for total goals in a game.

A lthough their regular season ended w ith a loss, the Belles squared off against the A lbion Brits and toppled them in the first round of the MI A A Tournament.

Freshman goalie Emily Kraker had 14 saves in goal for the Belles to earn a slim v ictor y, 13-12. W hile the Belles lost the tournament finale against No. 1 seed Calv in, 16-8, Saint Mar y’s secured second place in the MI A A tournament to propel the young team to future success.

Volleyball Observer Sports Staff

The Belles put together a successful w inning season, but they eventually met their end in the MI A A tournament semifinal at the hands of second-seeded Hope.

Initially, Saint Mar y’s (1610, 10-6 MI A A) struggled in September, unable to find a groove. This led to a rock y 5-7 start to the season. However, the Belles put it together a hot streak in October and continued on to w in 11 of their follow ing 14 matches.

The Belles’ hot play carried t hem to earn a No. 3 seed in t he MI A A tournament, joining t he top four teams in t he conference for t he second-consecutive year. They matched up w it h Hope (19-11, 12-4), af ter going 1-1 against t he Fly ing Dutch during t he reg ular season. The Fly ing Dutch edged out t he Belles in a 3-0 f ina l af ter t hree closelycontested sets.

This year for the Belles was highlighted by strong

indiv idual play that earned a a number of players conference recognition. For the first time in program histor y, three Saint Mar y’s players earned A ll-MI A A honors.

Senior captain and right side Rachel Bonek and freshman outside hitter Marielle Corbett were First Team A llMI A A selections, while junior libero Audrey Shannon earned Second Team honors.

Additionally, Corbett earned the honor of Freshman of the Year, as selected by league coaches.

Now, as the 2017 season is behind them, the Belles must part ways w ith their seniors, who in many ways contributed to the team’s past success. This includes captains Bonek and middle hitter Leah Buck. The former, as mentioned, earned A ll-MI A A honors this past year while the latter earned CoSIDA Academic A llDistrict Honors.

The Belles now prepare for the 2018 season, where they hope to return to the MI A A tournament for the thirdstraight year.

Tennis

By NOAH FURNERI Sports Writer

The Belles concluded another w inning season w ith a MI A A record of 12-8 and a second seed in the MI A A conference tournament. Head coach Dale Campbell was proud of his team and what they accomplished over the season.

“I thought overall we had a great season,” Campbell said. “One of our goals was to get into our conference tournament and put ourselves in a position to be in the final perhaps. We actually finished in a tie for second in our conference. And thus we were able to host the tournament as the number t wo seed. A couple of ver y strong teams won the tournament.”

The Belles charged into their conference tournament as the number t wo seed w ith many memorable moments, including a 5-4 home w in against Kalama zoo — who the Belles have not defeated in ten years — and a dominating 9-0 senior night w in over A lma.

“It was great to come out as number t wo in the regular season and be in that position for our conference tournament at home” Campbell said. “We lost our semifinal match, which did not allow us to make it to the final but nevertheless we beat another conference power Kalama zoo, who we had see SMC SPORTS PAGE 50

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The observer | FRIDAY, May 18, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

SMC Sports Continued from page 49

not beaten in ten years. So we took a lot of great things away from the season.”

As the Belles are now looking for ward to another special season, Coach Campbell also expressed his confidence in the teams abilit y to perform in the years to come.

“Our team culture is in a really good place,” Campbell said. “There are certain things we do not want to change. I do think that the players that are returning are a ver y competitive group. Some freshman coming in that should give us some additional skill. I also think we can focus a little more on our double and get perhaps even stronger there.

Hopefully allow ing us to play a more attaching st yle of doubles.”

Contact Noach Furneri at nfurneri@nd.edu

Cross Country Observer Sports Staff

With six returning runners and two newcomers, the Belles managed to put together a solid season in the fall of 2017.

The squad recorded five top-25 team finishes in eight total races throughout the season, including two seventh place finishes — one at the MI A A Jamboree and another at the MI A A championships. At the MI A A Jamboree, the Belles tallied a team score of 194, w ith junior Adelle Edmonds, sophomores Fiona Winfrey, Shanan Hamilton and Maura Honan and junior Emily Harrast all scoring.

At the MI A A championships, Edmonds finished 46th overall, and Honan, Harrast, senior Anna

McClow r y and sophomore Katie Glenn each scored.

Saint Mar y’s was led by co-captains McClow r y and Edmonds throughout the season. Edmonds led the Belles all year long, finishing first among the team in ever y single race. McClow ny was just behind her, finishing second among the team in the seven races she participated in this season.

Despite several solid team finishes and many impressive indidiv ual times, Saint Mar y’s finished seventh in the MI A A standings and 29th at the NCA A Regionals.

Nevertheless, the Belles look for ward to a 2018 season w ith seven of their eight total runners returning. Senior co-captain Anna McClow r y is the only runner graduating, which means Adele Edmonds w ill return next season as a key paceleader for the Belles. Next year, the Belles w ill also return w ith veteran coach Jackie Bauters, who w ill enter her 14th year of coaching at Saint Mar y’s. Bauters graduated from Saint Mar y’s herself in 2004, and w ill look to guide the Belles toward even more success in 2018.

Basketball

By MIA BERRY Sports Writer

It was a season of improvement for Saint Mar y’s, who finished the season tied for seventh place in the MI A A conference.

The season was one plagued w ith losing stretches for the Belles (6-19, 3-13 MI A A), Belles head coach Melissa Makielski described the 2017-18 season as one of development.

“This season was a season of grow th,” Makielski said. “We fought ever y day to improve and at the end of the season, we were competing w ith the top teams in our

Observer File Photo

Saint Mary’s junior midfielder Kate Kelly looks for a pass during the Belles’ 10-4 win over Trine on April 12, 2016. Kelly has been one of the team’s top scorers, with 75 points during the 2018 season.

conference.”

The season of grow th manifested itself for the team in its record, as the Belles tripled their total w in total from the prev ious season after improv ing from 2-23, w ith just one conference w in to a season w ith six w ins.

Their w ins came against John Carroll, A lma College, Anderson Universit y, Olivet, Kalamazoo and Illinois Tech. Makielski knows the team got through the up and dow n season by leaning on one another during rough stretches.

“The team [got] t hrough t he highs and lows of t he season toget her. They are a close group who a ll have t he same goa ls in mind and want to cha llenge each ot her,” Ma k ielsk i said. “Basketba ll players on any team k now t hat t hey are going to go t hrough highs and lows each season. We were fortunate t his season to have a group of players who bonded

Observer File Photo

Saint Mary’s sophomore defender Callie Doyle brings the ball upfield during the Belles’ 4-1 win over Manchester on Sept. 2, 2016. Doyle started in 16 of the Belles’ 18 games in the 2017 season.

toget her to get t hrough t he good and bad times w it h each ot her.”

At the end of the season the Belles graduated three seniors — Kelsey Trimble, Gabby Crow n and captain Gabby Diamond — a group Makielski remembers as a hard-working and self less senior class.

“This senior class set a solid foundation of hard work and commitment to this program,” Makielski said.

“We w ill miss their dedication and w illingness to put the team first. They were self less and were w illing to sacrifice themselves for the good of the team.”

Contact Mia Berry at mberry1@nd.edu

Soccer

By CHARLIE ORTEGA GUIFARRO Sports Writer

In the midst of a rebuild, Saint Mar y’s adopted several top-dow n changes resulting in a new culture and a new st yle of play.

Belles head coach Jesse Urquhart, in his second season w ith the Belles (1-17, 0-16 MI A A), said they did not meet their goals this past season but, as w ith any rebuild, this is the start of a slow climb to success.

“We’re a program that is rebuilding,” he said. “We battled through some ver y difficult times know ing that the seasons to follow are going to be much better.”

A 4-1 w in over Manchester t wo games into the season gave the Belles hope for the season to come, but unfortunately, they were unable to capitalize on that momentum to capture any more w ins.

The Belles continue to hit the reset button on ever ything as Urquhart aims to bring the right players, not

necessarily the best players to his team.

“Our efforts [to rebuild] start w ith our recruiting classes. To steal a line from Herb Brooks, we’re not looking for the best people, we’re looking for the right people,” he said. “We’re looking for the right people that fit our program, players that help improve our culture, and ultimately, players that are dedicated and passionate about being successful Div ision III student-athletes.”

In terms of the kind of culture that Urquhart wants, he said that he is looking for a team that is dedicated to improv ing, favoring a strong work ethic on and off the field.

“Our involvement is limited outside of our season. ... We’ve got great leadership in place now. We’re looking to continue to build on that and bring in players who are dedicated to their teammates and the program,” Urquhart said. “We’re proud of our cumulative team GPA, [we’re looking for] players that are putting in the work in the offseason, players that hold themselves accountable to a higher standard, that’s the culture we’re looking to build.”

He added that the team is seeking to become a possession-oriented team w ith an emphasis on attacking, aiming to play at a faster pace.

The upcoming recruiting class was aimed primarily at defenders, whereas the 2019 recruiting class seeks to obtain more attack-oriented players. “[The fans] can expect a much more exciting performance on the field [next season] and also, [that we’ll] start w inning more matches,” Urquhart said.

Contact Charlie Ortega Guifarro at cortegag@nd.edu

Sports

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51

nd softball | 32-21, 13-10 ACC

Irish make 20th-straight NCAA tournament

By CHARLOTTE EDMONDS Associate Sports Editor

Notre Dame qualified for its 20th straight NCA A Championships, one of two ACC teams to make the tournament. The third-seeded Irish (32-21, 13-10 ACC) will meet No. 2 seed Michigan in the first round of the Lexington Region.

Head coach Deanna Gumpf said her team’s strategy heading into her seventeenth postseason at Notre Dame is to carry the momentum from their final regular-season win over Florida State on Senior Day. Notre Dame defeated the No. 8 Seminoles (47-10, 21-3 ACC) 3-1 in the last game of the series. The Seminoles went on to beat Notre Dame in the ACC semifinals 6-1, before winning the conference title to secure the automatic bid.

“That is what we’re depending on to propel us into the tournament,” she said. “It’s really all that matters … What did we do to win that game and what can we take from that, and use that against our next opponent.”

After a 6-3 non-conference start that included two games

against the Wolverines (43-11, 18-3 Big Ten), Gumpf’s team competed in both the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic and the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic before spring break, going 1-4 and 5-0, respectively, with three of those losses coming at the hands of top-10 teams.

Michigan, having won half of its last eight matchups, was defeated in the first round of the Big Ten Championships by in-state rival, Michigan State.

Earlier in the season they defeated the Irish 6-0, only to lose 4-3 the very next day.

The team tallied an 11-5 record within the month of March, including seven ACC wins.

With only three seniors on the roster, Gumpf had to rely on the balance of contributions from underclassmen and less experienced players to carry the team through one of the toughest conferences in the country.

“There’s a lot of people who have made some noise throughout the season,” she said. “I think it happens at different times. There wasn’t like the three key people throughout the season.”

In particular, the team

came to depend on freshman pitcher Alexis Holloway. The right-hander started 32 of the team’s 53 games and was the key to their success in the latter half of the season. Her 2.34 ERA helped pace Notre Dame to a fourth place finish in the ACC. Victories in series against Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Louisville throughout the

season helped buffer the Irish series losses to North Carolina, Duke, Boston College and Florida State.

Gumpf emphasized the importance of consistency as the key to a successful regular season. However, she said that all changes when the Tournament rolls around.

“There’s a lot of turning points within a season. It’s

really about trying to not get too high or too low. There’s always momentum, that’s what we look for ... It’s not about playing consistent softball. It’s about playing good enough softball ... and beating our opponents, whoever that is.”

Contact Charlotte Edmonds at cedmond3@nd.edu

SARAH OLSON | The Observer

Irish freshman Alexis Holloway throws a pitch during Notre Dame’s 8-4 loss to Loyola-Chicago on April 11 at Melissa Cook Stadium. Holloway pitched 20 complete games and led the team in shutouts this season.

baseball | 24-25, 12-15 ACC

ND veterans lead young team in tough season

By CONNOR MULVENA Associate Sports Editor

The Irish have fielded a largely young team this season, and despite ups and downs on the mound, Notre Dame has managed to put up a solid effort.

Playing in arguably the nation’s toughest conference, Notre Dame managed to claim several victories against topten opponents, including Florida State, Clemson and NC State. The Irish have also proven themselves a force to be reckoned with at the plate, as the squad ranks sixth in the ACC in team batting average thus far.

“I think we’ve had a lot of [highlights] this season,” Aoki said. “From winning a series on the road at LSU to open the year to wins against top ten opponents — NC State, Florida State, and Clemson…

And then on an individual level Kersch [senior outfielder Alex Kerschner] and Tully [graduate student southpaw Scott Tully] and guys like [junior infielder] Nick Podkul and [junior outfielder] Matt Vierling, [junior infielder] Cole Daily and [junior outfielder] Eric Gilgenbach have been really good success stories as well. So I think both at a team level and at an individual level we’ve had some really good moments.”

Podkul has been a driving force in this respectable offense, leading the Irish in batting average, runs scored, hits and on base percentage.

“Nick has been really really good from beginning to end,” Aoki said. “I don’t know that he’s had much more than a two or three game stretch where he wasn’t getting hits or something. Even on the days that maybe the ball wasn’t dropping for him, he was often times able to affect the game with his defense, being able to steal a base — I think Nick has been all around not just at the plate, a really really high level performer.”

Gilgenbach has also powered the Irish to success at the plate.

The junior outfielder has come up with a number of clutch hits throughout the season for the Irish and leads the team in slugging percentage, RBIs and home runs.

“For me, the story with Gilgy is just the really upward trajectory of his overall game,” Aoki said. “Two years ago as a freshman he was a kid who, we just weren’t really able to play him.

He just wasn’t really ready at all. Last year, he wins a starting job at the beginning of the year and then really really scuffled and didn’t get back there for a while. He finished the year on a really good upswing and

played well throughout the course of the summer for the most part and has carried that into this year… The overall trajectory of his play has been a steady climb, and I’m really happy. He’s a terrific kid, and I think he’s helped a lot of our younger players. He’s taken on a really positive leadership role in the clubhouse.”

With a largely young team, senior leaders have been an important part of the team’s progress this season. Senior outfielders Kerschner and Jake Johnson have been a huge part of this leadership unit for the Irish this season. Johnson ranks tied for fourth in batting percentage. Kerschner has similarly been a huge part of the Irish offense, ranking fourth in batting average and first in triples for Notre Dame. Coach Aoki lauded the two outfielders for their perseverance and presence on the team.

“I think Kersch is just a great story. This is like the Rudy of baseball in some way shape or form,” Aoki said. “He was on the club team as a freshman, tried out for the team as a sophomore, and we just happened to sort of have the numbers work in his favor for that particular year. He just works hard. Here’s a kid who is going through, I guess at Notre Dame

we call it the pre-professional program, but pretty high-level academic stuff. He certainly has his eyes set on the future, going to be a doctor and all that stuff, and then playing summer baseball and getting better and just working at trying to be the very best player that he can be. Finally in his senior year he has this great kind of storybook ending to his Notre Dame career. He’s had a really good year … He’s had some really big hits for us, and you’re just thrilled for him.”

“JJ — here’s a guy who, legitimately every single time he’s been in the lineup for any stretch of time, he has been a really really steady and productive college baseball player,” Aoki said. “He’s been bit by the injury bug a little bit unfortunately, but he has been able to show some of our younger kids persevering through that and continuing to relentlessly grind at being as good as he can be.”

Still, a number of younger players have really stepped up for the Irish this season, especially freshman infielder Niko Kavadas. Kavadas has proven to be a consistent force at bat for the Irish, and he was named ACC player of the week on May 7 and hit a walk-off home run against Boston College on April 27.

“I think that all of our younger guys have had some ups and downs, and they all, for the most part, have had some really good moments too,” Aoki said. “If I had to say the kid who has been most consistent from beginning to end and a guy that- we all thought he had really good ability- but has really improved that ability and the skill set, I would have to say Niko Kavadas. I think that Niko came in here a little bit under the radar ... But he won the opportunity and ran with it. Certainly the last two or three weeks he was as hot as any hitter we’ve had in our program all year long.”

Overall, despite the ups and downs throughout the season, coach Aoki said his players have been a pleasure to be around this year, and he is especially sad to see his group of seniors go on.

“It’s been a lot of fun to be around them, and this year’s team, through all the ups and downs, was a really good group of players to be around — hard working, positive and just really fun to be around, and that was driven a lot by our seniors,” Aoki said. “So, I’m sorry to see them go, that’s for sure.”

Contact Connor Mulvena at cmulvena@nd.edu

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The observer | FRIDAY, May 18, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

men’s Lacrosse | 9-6, 1-3 ACC

ND overcomes injuries, claims conference title

By MEAGAN BENS Sports Writer

Fighting through injuries this season, the Irish staged quite a comeback and were ultimately crow ned ACC champions.

The Irish (9-6, 1-3 ACC) suffered a dip in the middle of the season, but they have bounced back to finish on a high note. Comparing the team’s position to where they were at the beginning of the season, head coach Kev in Corrigan said the team has progressed tremendously.

“I don’t compare years because there’s nothing in that for us,” Corrigan said. “Ever y team is different and ever year is different. We gain nothing out of comparing ourselves to prev ious teams or any thing else. For me it is ver y self-referential. How are we compared to how we were in Januar y or Februar y, when we started to put this team together? On that basis I think we’ve made tremendous progress. We play w ith better awareness and knowledge than we did in the beginning of the year. And guys right now, last couple weeks we’ve been in the sweet spot play ing really hard and really aggressively while playing smart at the same time.

I’m happy how we are playing and we can just continue and build on it.”

With freshman attack Mikey Drake, junior midfielder Brendan Gleason and sophomore midfielder Br yan Costabile all facing injuries during the middle of the season, Corrigan said senior attack Mikey Wy nne and junior attack Ryder Garnsey

have stepped up to fill the void.

“Luckily while all the injuries are serious, guys have been able to bounce back prett y quick ly,” Corrigan said. “It attests to their toughness if any thing else.

I think at this point ever ybody is not 100 percent, but we are getting there and we are getting better all the time. I think on our attack, Wy nne and Garnsey have both really stepped up in the time the other guys we’re out and both play ing ver y well right now. In the midfield, [senior] Pierre By rne has been consistent throughout the year and I think a second group of midfielders has given us some really valuable minutes w ith [senior] Jordan Walter leading that group.”

Just when they were finally adjusting to the new formation w ith injured players being out, Notre Dame faced several challenging opponents that brought out the best in the Irish, including Duke in the opening game of the conference tournament and a match against Denver earlier in the season.

“The Duke game in the first round of the ACC tournament was the toughest match,” Corrigan said. “That was a really well played game. It wasn’t like Duke didn’t play well, they played ver y well. But we played just a little bit better. It was definitely a game we all felt good about. Over the course of the season, the first Denver game was also important one for us cause we started off not play ing well and that was the first game where we really played well. There are

CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer

Irish senior midfield John Travisano, Jr. throws a pass during Notre Dame’s 8-2 loss to Duke on April 7 at Arlotta Stadium. Travisano finished second on the team in ground balls picked up, with 59 this season.

different times along the season that you have significant games for whatever reason. Those t wo were significant, but I’d say Duke was the best overall game.

We played them earlier in the year and they showed us why they are one of the top teams in the countr y, but we came out on top the second time.”

After the close 10-9 loss to North Carolina on April 21, the Irish won games against Duke (14-3, 3-1) and Virginia to claim the ACC championship, and then they followed off the regular-season home v ictor y over Army to finish the season.

Entering the NCA A tournament, Notre Dame earned the No. 7 seed to host Denver (13-3, 5-0 Big East) last Sunday. Corrigan said

the team does not set goals, but rather has the constant expectation to perform to w in. However, its luck ran out as the Irish, in their 13th-straight NCA A tournament appearance, fell to the Pioneers 9-7, after being outscored 3-1 in the final quarter. Garnsey led the way w ith a team-high four goals, marking his fifth hat trick on the season.

Despite a respectable offensive performance, Notre Dame was unable to contain Denver on the defensive end, and marked the end of their season w ith a goal by the Pioneers to seal the defeat w ith four minutes remaining.

“We don’t set any goals as a team and one of the reasons is because I don’t ever remember play ing a game

that I didn’t expect to w in,” Corrigan said. “If you stipulate that, what other goals are there? If you w in ever y game then it’s good. But even if you lose a game it doesn’t change your outlook on the next game, you still look to w in that one.”

Ref lecting on the tough season and the players adapting to the new dy namic on the field, Corrigan said the one word that describes their season is resilient.

“The guys have been hurt and they’ve had to recover from that,” Corrigan said.

“Their backs have been against the wall and they’ve had to recover from that. It describes the right mind set for this team.”

Contact Meagan Bens at mbens@nd.edu

ND WOmen’s Lacrosse | 10-9, 3-4 ACC

Young Irish team looks toward future success

By JACK CONCANNON Sports Writer

The Irish came into this season a young and inexperienced group. The team routinely started multiple underclassmen and found late-season success in the ACC, one of the most competitive leagues in the NCA A. The Irish (10-9, 3-4 ACC) finished fifth in the ACC, pulling off a w in over No. 4-seed Virginia in the first round of the ACC championship. Irish head coach Christine Halfpenny spoke highly of the team’s performance all season.

“There was a ton of grow th.

We had a year that showed great grow th in our youth.

There are some outstanding

highlights and we built a resume that’s really exciting,” Halfpenny said. “Our home one-goal v ictories over Sy racuse and Duke and beating Virginia in the ACC showed great grow th. We have a lot to look for ward to.”

The team’s three leading scorers were underclassmen: freshman midfielder Maddie Howe, freshman midfielder Andie A ldave and sophomore midfielder Savannah Buchanan.

Buchanan was named to the A ll-ACC second team for her performance this season.

Halfpenny said her team’s youth prov ided great opportunities for learning.

“Experience was something we didn’t have a lot of on the field at times,” Halfpenny said.

“That’s

something that takes time to garner, but when you see the top three scorers being t wo freshmen and a sophomore it just shows that we have a lot of talent and that the future is super bright.”

The team’s defense was anchored by its junior goalkeeper Samantha Giacolone.

Giacolone was a first team A ll-ACC selection who led the ACC in save percentage w ith a .469 save percentage. She had five games w ith double-digit saves and anchored the team’s back line.

Halfpenny was impressed w ith her goaltender’s play all season.

“Our goalkeeping was an area of strength for us.

Hav ing Sam come back w ith t wo full years of experience was huge,” Halfpenny said.

“Sam was the anchor. She’s a strong, experienced communicator. That’s an area that we’re super excited about mov ing for ward.”

The w in over Virginia (1010, 4-3) in the ACC tournament was an indicator of what the team could be capable of mov ing for ward.

The Irish were dow n 9-4 at halftime, but stormed back in the second half allow ing just one goal to w in the game 11-10. Halfpenny believed the team showed incredible grit in the w in.

“Our win over Virginia in the ACCs was just awesome.

We went into the half down and were able to come out and re-write our future. Some people may have thought that was it for us, but that was a wonderful opportunity for us

to survive and advance in the postseason,” Halfpenny said.

“It took a lot of guts, it took a lot of grit. Everyone contributed all over the field, it was really exciting to see us come away with that victory. It showed how strong we have become.”

The Irish just missed out on an NCA A tournament berth this season, despite UVA receiving a bid after falling to the Irish in the first round of the ACC tournament. W hile the Irish will be watching this year’s tournament from the sideline for the first time in Halfpenny’s tenure at Notre Dame, the young squad is hopeful to continue its momentum next season.

Contact Jack Concannon at jconcan2@nd.edu